Apparatus for compressing and heating a shrink sleeve

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an apparatus for compressing and heating a shrink sleeve into which, for hair extension, one end of a strand of a person&#39;s own hair is introduced at one sleeve end and one end of a strand of extraneous hair is introduced at the other sleeve end, wherein a hot-melt adhesive is located in the sleeve interior, and wherein the apparatus has two clamping jaws between which the shrink sleeve is received and is deformed by pressure and heat, and of which at least one clamping jaw has a heating element.

The invention relates to an apparatus for compressing and heating ashrink sleeve into one of whose ends an end of a strand of a person'sown hair is inserted and into whose opposite end is inserted a foreignhair strand in order to extend the hair, a hot-melt adhesive beingprovided inside the sleeve.

It is known to extend hair on the head using a sleeve made of shrinkableplastics into whose one end is inserted a strand of a person's own hairand into whose opposite end is inserted a foreign hair strand in orderto be bonded to each other inside the sleeve by an adhesive. In thiscase, the sleeve is pressed together in the region of the adhesive byhand by rolling the sleeve between two fingers. Such a method of workingis time-consuming and labor-intensive and leads to results havingdifferent degrees of accuracy.

The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus that considerablyreduces the workload when extending head hair.

According to the invention, this object is attained in that theapparatus comprises two clamping jaws between which the shrink sleeve isreceived and is deformed by pressure and heat, and at least one of whichclamping jaws has a heating element.

With such an apparatus, it is possible to extend hair with a smallamount of effort and in the shortest amount of time possible, withconsistent precision.

In this case, it is preferably proposed that the clamping surface of atleast one clamping jaw has at least one recess and/or at least oneprojection that deforms the shrink sleeve and the hot-melt adhesive. Asa result, after the hot adhesive and the sleeve have cooled down, anoptimum sleeve shape is reached that has a diameter that decreases atthe two ends. As a result, the hot-melt adhesive is optimallydistributed inside the shrink sleeve. The shrink sleeve is alsooptimally deformed into a shape having tapering ends and a slightlythicker portion in the central region.

In this case, it is particularly advantageous for the recess(es) and/orthe projection(s) to be deformed and/or constructed such that a smalleramount of pressure is exerted on the outside of the shrink sleeve in thecentral region thereof than in the regions that are closer to the twoshrink sleeve ends.

It is preferably proposed that each clamping jaw is at the end of atwo-lever assembly and the two levers are fastened to each other by apivot. In this case, the two levers can be articulated to each othersuch that, when the lever ends remote from the clamping jaws are pressedtoward each other, the clamping jaws move away from each other.

It is also advantageous here for a spring element to be mounted on thelevers and press the clamping jaws against each other. In this case, thespring force is preferably adjustable.

An effective method of working is achieved when the clamping jaws havetwo or more seats for shrink sleeves that are parallel to one another.

Fast and safe heating is achieved when the heating element generates theheat by ultrasound. It is preferably proposed that at least one of theclamping jaws has at least one opening or hole that ends on the shrinksleeve and via which the hot-melt adhesive can be influenced. As aresult, the flow of the hot-melt adhesive can be controlled by insertinga pin or wire such that the hairs can be securely stuck together in asmaller space.

The shrink sleeves are particularly easy to work with and insert intothe clamping apparatus when the shrink sleeve has at least one recess,in particular a groove or annular groove, and/or at least oneprojection, in particular an annular bulge, in its outer surface inorder to fix the shrink sleeve to the jaws of the clamping apparatus.

One embodiment of the invention is shown schematically in the drawingsand will be described in more detail in the following, in which:

FIG. 1 is a section through two clamping jaws of a compressing apparatusalong the axis of the shrink sleeve,

FIG. 2 is a cross section through the clamping or compressing apparatus,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the profile-shaped clamping jawsfastened to the levers, and

FIG. 4 shows a cross section through the clamping jaws comprising anadditional clamp.

The clamping or compressing apparatus according to the inventioncomprises two levers 11, 12 that can cross and can be articulated toeach other. However, here the two levers 11, 12 are connected to eachother by a pivot 13 and do not cross each other so that, when the twoouter lever ends are pushed away from each other, the two inner leverends move toward each other. A compression spring 14 is between theouter lever ends to urge the outer lever ends away from each other sothat the two inner lever ends are pressed together against thispressure. Clamping jaws 5, 6 are fastened on the inside between theinner lever ends between which a shrink sleeve 1 is placed.

The end of a strand of a person's own hair 2 is inserted into one end ofthe sleeve and the end of a foreign hair strand 3 is inserted into theopposite end. The two strands of hair overlap in the center of theshrink sleeve 1, at least in part, and a hot-melt adhesive (hot melt) 4is provided on the internal wall of the shrink sleeve 1 in this centralregion so that this adhesive melts in the shrink sleeve when pressureand heat are applied from the outside and penetrates between the hairsof the two strands in order to attach them to each other after theadhesive has cooled.

In order to apply the necessary pressure and the necessary heat to theshrink sleeve from the outside, the shrink sleeve 1 is placed betweenthe two clamping jaws 5, 6, and here the two clamping jaws 5, 6 haverecesses 8 on their confronting faces in the central region of theshrink sleeve, and therefore, when the two clamping jaws 5, 6 arepressed together in the central region of the shrink sleeve, a smalleramount of pressure is exerted in this central region than at the twoends of the shrink sleeve. In this case, the heat required for thehot-melt adhesive is generated by heating elements, in particular bysources of ultrasound, that are mounted in one or in both clamping jaws5, 6.

Due to the recesses 8, a smaller amount of pressure is exerted in thecentral region of the shrink sleeve than at the ends, and therefore thehot-melt adhesive becomes thinner toward the two ends and has a largerdiameter in the central region and the shrink sleeve is accordingly alsodeformed such that it has a greater diameter in the central region andtapers so as to be narrower at both ends. As a result, the shrink sleeveconforms to the hair strands. However, after the hot-melt adhesive 4 hassolidified, the shrink sleeve is preferably removed such that only thehot-melt adhesive then remains on the two hair strands 2, 3, and in thiscase has a lens-shaped longitudinal section.

The clamping jaws 5, 6 preferably have two or more seats for shrinksleeves 1 that are parallel to each other such that a plurality ofshrink sleeves can be worked on at the same time.

So that the shrink sleeve or shrink sleeves 1 can be inserted into theseat(s) particularly easily and held in position there, it is proposedthat at least one projection or in particular an annular bulge beprovided on the outside of the shrink sleeve that fits into acorresponding recess in the clamping jaws. The shrink sleeves aretherefore then also still held securely in the clamping jaws before theclamping jaws are pressed together.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the clamping jaws 5, 6 are formed byprofiles extending parallel to each other and are each fastened to oneof the two levers 11, 12, in particular integrally formed therewith, byone end thereof. In this case, the clamping jaw profiles form an angle αof from 40 to 60°, preferably 45°, together with the levers 11, 12 inorder to be able to comfortably move the clamping jaws 5, 6 closer tothe scalp so that the clamping jaws lie approximately parallel to scalp.In this position, a plurality of shrink sleeves 1 can be simultaneouslycontacted and deformed by pressure and heat between the clamping jaws inorder to bond the foreign hair strands to the strands of a person's ownhair.

The confronting faces of the two clamping jaws 5, 6 between which theshrink sleeves are provided have projecting ridges 15 to 18 that extendparallel to the clamping jaw axes or extensions, and can also becharacterized as projecting ridges having a spacing A from one anothersuch that a recess 8 is formed in the particular clamping jaw betweenthe ridges, and therefore the two recesses 8 form a space when theclamping jaws are pressed together, in which space lies the centralregion of the shrink sleeve in which the hot-melt adhesive and the twoends of the strands are located.

If the two clamping jaws 5, 6 are pressed together by the levers 11, 12together, the ridges 15 to 18 on either side of the central region ofthe shrink sleeve constrict and at the same time heat this sleeve. It isadvantageous here for the two clamping jaws to be released from eachother shortly after the initial compressing and heating in order to givethe adhesive the opportunity to distribute itself better. In thisposition, the shrink sleeve 1 is also held by an additional clamp 19that acts on the clamping points of the shrink sleeve and therefore alsoholds the shrink sleeve in place. In this case, the clamp 19 has aprofile 20 that has a U-section, and free ends 21, 22 of the profilelegs that face the clamping points engage over the outside of one of theclamping jaws 5, 6.

The profile-shaped clamping jaws 5, 6 and in particular the additionalclamp 19 make it possible for a plurality of shrink sleeves of the headto be deformed simultaneously and for the ends of the two hair strands2, 3 to be securely bonded to each other. The sleeve is then removedfrom the hair-strand bonding point. For this purpose, the shrink sleeve1 has at least one tear-open seam. The exact design and handling of theshrink sleeve is described in WO 2014/086483.

One to three transverse holes 23 are made in at least one of the twoclamping jaws 5, 6, which end at the shrink sleeve 1. A rod or pin canbe inserted into one of these holes to press the outside of the sleeve 1by its inserted end in order to influence the flow of the hot-meltadhesive. Therefore, this flow can accumulate in the central region, forexample.

1. An apparatus for compressing and heating a shrink sleeve into whose one end is inserted a strand of a person's own hair and into whose opposite end a foreign hair strand is inserted in order to extend the hair, a hot-melt adhesive being provided inside the sleeve, the apparatus comprising: two clamping jaws between which the shrink sleeve is received and is deformed by pressure and heat and a heating element in at least one of the clamping jaws.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a clamping surface of the at least one clamping jaw has a or a projection that deforms the shrink sleeve and the hot-melt adhesive.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the recess or the projection is formed or is constructed such that a smaller amount of pressure is exerted on the shrink sleeve in a central region thereof than in regions closer to the two shrink sleeve ends.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each clamping jaw is at a respective inner ends of two levers fastened to each other by a pivot.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 4, in that wherein the two levers are articulated to each other such that, when outer lever ends remote from the clamping jaws press against each other, the clamping jaws move away from each other.
 6. The apparatus according to either claim 5, further comprising: a spring element is on the levers presses the clamping jaws against each other or pushes them apart.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the spring force is adjustable.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clamping jaws have two or more seats for shrink sleeves that are parallel to one another.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clamping jaws are each formed by a profile that extends transversely to a longitudinal dimension of the shrink sleeve.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the two clamping jaws each have ridges or strips that project toward the shrink sleeve and extend parallel to the longitudinal direction of the profile-shaped clamping jaws.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the clamping jaws are each fastened to a respective one of the two levers by a profile end.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each lever forms an angle of from 30 to 60° with the respective clamping jaw fastened thereto.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a clamp that acts on clamping points of the shrink sleeve that are made by the clamping jaws.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the clamp acts on the shrink sleeve on either side of the clamping points produced by the clamping jaws.
 15. The apparatus according to either claim 13, wherein the clamp has a profile of a U-section whose the free ends face the clamping points and engage over the outside of one of the clamping jaws.
 16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating element generates the heat by ultrasound.
 17. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the clamping jaws has at least one opening or hole that ends on the shrink sleeve and via which the hot-melt adhesive can be influenced.
 18. A shrink sleeve for use in an apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shrink sleeve has at least one recess or at least one projection in its outer surface in order to fix the shrink sleeve to the jaws of the clamping apparatus. 